Bringrr tackles phone separation anxiety

In the past year or so, I’ve seen several Bluetooth products that sound an alarm if they are separated from the device with which they are paired. The idea is to alert you in case your phone becomes misplaced or stole. But at the CEA Line Shows last week, a company called Bringrr (which gets a few points for ending its name with my initials) is taking a different approach.

The Bringrr device sits in your cigarette lighter and checks to see if your phone is nearby when you start the car. While the means are similar to those employed forget-me-not phone devices such as the versatile Zomm, the purpose is to notify you when you’ve forgotten to bring your phone rather than that you’ve left it behind. Bringrr also comes in a version that includes a USB charger for said phone or other device.

I have left my phone behind when I’ve meant to bring it in the vehicle on occasion, but it’s been a pretty rare occurrence, perhaps even less often than when I’ve left hone on foot. That said, car trips tend to be longer, of course, making it more of a hassle to hurry back for your personal radio-infused computer, and there aren’t a lot of pay phones on the open road.